Morning Run/Farmdale

Frickin' work conference in Springfield last Friday. I did manage to get a nice seven mile run in on Friday morning on the Springfield Interurban Trail. When we lived here a decade ago I wasn't a runner, although I did bike all over the area. At the time the "trail" was an old railbed gone to seed.

I used to ride out to Chatham then over to the rt. 72 bridge to check out this old round barn just south of Panther Creek. You don't see too many round barns around that area, most are up north. I have no idea if it's still there, but I'd like to think so.

That old railbed is now the Interurban Trail. I started at Woodside Rd., the edge of suburban development hell these days, and headed south on what is now a nicely paved bike trail. At the western edge of Lake Springfield, what used to be Lick Creek before it was damned (and dammed) to make the lake, are some entrances to single track on the both sides of the lake finger. I ran all the way into town, diverting off on the south section of trail, an area I'd never checked out. The trail went a couple miles back into the timber and didn't look all that used.

Interestingly, that old railbed used to be an interurban. Interurbans were constructed at the turn of the 20th century to offer rail service into the city. Go here:

http://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A2768

for more. So, it was a nice, chilly 7 miler on a historic route.

Saturday was working the Devil's Cliff aid station at the Farmdale Trail Runs www.farmdaletrailrun.com, tremendous fun, and only a little work.

We took off Sunday morning for Missouri to unwind. Drove down 54, then south from Bowling Green, stopping at the Stone Hill Winery in New Florence, MO. Last night we walked the Katy Trail, really a very nice footpath through Columbia, MO., then dined at the Pasta House. Went out to our farm near Hatton, MO. (see Oct. 06 blog for more), then home on rt. 24 along the river road. I was hoping for fall color, but with not much cold weather yet, there isn't much in the way of reds, oranges, and yellows. Still a great few days.